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crochetbyj
Reviews
The China Lake Murders (1990)
On a Dark Dessert Highway...
I have forever been a fan of made-for-TV movies and their genre. And this was no exception. I revisited it the other day and was quite impressed by the atmosphere and believability of the cast. Set in Arizona along a lonely expanse of road we have a rogue cop who at some point has gone quietly insane and kills people randomly. Tom Skerritt effortlessly occupies any role he plays and this is no exception. As the sheriff of a small town in the Southwest he wears the role as one would wear a second skin, yet he is more intuitive than most folks realize. But beyond a shadow of a doubt the long dusty stretches of road with nothing in sight for miles, the heat, cacti, and hillsides and shrubs are the biggest actor of all. There is something undaunted and oppressive about this type of scenery which takes us back to Westerns about cowboys and frontiersmen, Las Vegas victim's burial grounds, badlands, bad people, and lost people. And this movie is no different. Michael Parks in the early years had played such interesting roles as well. The movie becomes a race to the truth and the final conclusion and it held my attention until the end. Not bad for a movie of the week and it must be looked at in that context.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997)
A Pleasant Retelling
If you are new to the movie history of this Jules Verne classic, watch without a preconceived notion. I did prefer Ben Cross as Nemo to James Mason although both British actors are quite stellar performers in their own right. Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire) presented what I envisioned Captain Nemo to be; an obviously educated man, stoic, mysterious, with a darkness that is alluring and intriguing. James Mason's Nemo was a bit more patterning itself with what a ship's captain of that period would more than likely to be. Mason's Nemo was a bit more aristocratic while Cross had an air of less a madman but one who has deep secrets lurking just beneath the surface. Having read the book,, I always thought of Nemo's character to be an intense and complex person who has his own concept of right and wrong with many layers.. The musical score was sweeping. Richard Crenna was an interesting and refreshing choice as the professor. Bookish and good natured, yet believable. I remember Julie Cox from the Dune series which came much later. An interesting adaptation to watch.